ECLAC Forum Warns about Threats to Sustainable Development

Havana, May 7 (Prensa Latina) A global trade war represents a real threat against the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development goals in the world, specialists in the ECLAC forum said today.

Academics, researchers, government representatives and United Nations agencies shared views on the subject in one of the panels organized here as part of the 37th regular session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

According to Cuban doctor Osvaldo Martinez, from the Center for Research on the World Economy (CIEM), the current tensions have their origin in the stance of President of the United States Donald Trump.

‘Trump’s decisions encourage protectionism and economic nationalism in clear ignorance of the rules of the World Trade Organization,’ said Martinez, also university professor.

According to Martinez, Trump’s administration described China as the main enemy given the progress of this country and the increase in the bilateral trade deficit that in 2017 exceeded $375 billion USD in favor of China.

‘The increased confrontation would be unfavorable news for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDO),’ said Martinez, who also explained the potential damages for the United States.

‘Latin America and the Caribbean are also jeopardized due to historical structural damages, which are currently resumed for the negative impact of the most recent increase in raw material prices, on which the region’s main income depends,’ he said.

‘Left-wing and progressive administrations in the region managed to lower the rate of poor people from 233 million to 168 million people from 2012 to 2014, as well as the rate of destitute from 63 million to 48 million people,’ he said.

‘However, in the last three years due to the implementation of neoliberal policies the number of poor people increased by 19 million and the number of destitute by 14 million people,’ he said.